Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, in Central Texas, international trade has meant more good, high-paying jobs, not fewer. I personally believe that we gain from more international commerce, by building bridges, not erecting barriers. To do that, the President does need reasonable authority to expand international commerce. But the vote that we are having today is not about more international commerce, it is about more domestic politics. Mr. Speaker, is it not ludicrous, indeed bizarre, that the same House Republicans that on Monday were releasing a videotape and complaining about an abuse of power by this President have waited all the way to Friday to say that we must have a vote today about giving that same person more power? This is not about more power for President Clinton, really. It is about more votes for Newt Gingrich, and that is the last thing that America needs. We do need a bipartisan coalition for trade in this country. It ought to be trade that recognizes that some of the concerns that have been advanced about working conditions, about environmental concerns are very real, and there is a way to address those at the same time that we seek more international commerce. But today is not the day to do that. What we have here is not really a vote about fast track, perhaps fast track in name only. This is really only a sidetrack. It is wrong, and this measure ought to be voted down.”